How Does Jimmy Kimmel Really Feel About The Future Of Late Night?

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2025 was a major year for late-night TV, and 2026 looks to be just as important. For instance, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be ending. Despite a recent break, Jimmy Kimmel plans to continue hosting, and he believes late-night talk shows in general will survive, though they may look quite different in the future.

I was chatting with Jimmy Kimmel last night at the Critics’ Choice Awards – his show just snagged the award for Best Talk Show, which was fantastic to see. He seems pretty confident that talk shows like his aren’t going anywhere, even if the traditional ‘late-night’ label might not stick around forever. He shared his thoughts with me, and it’s clear he believes there’s still a strong audience for this kind of entertainment. He told People magazine…

These shows aren’t necessarily on late at night anymore. Some programs still use the traditional talk show format, even though they don’t air late at night, so we might need a new name for them. However, it’s a very inexpensive type of television to produce, so I doubt it will disappear completely.

As someone who loves movies and TV, it’s really interesting how things are changing with streaming. We’re used to talk shows being late-night, but now, with everything available whenever you want it, that doesn’t really matter anymore, does it? A show could drop at any time – morning, afternoon, whatever – and still feel like the perfect time to watch it. It’s less about when it airs and more about just having it available when you want it.

Something Jimmy Kimmel pointed out really struck me as a movie and TV lover. He basically said late-night shows are surprisingly cheap to make compared to all those big scripted dramas and comedies. It’s ironic, because one of the reasons people are talking about Stephen Colbert’s show potentially ending is because it’s not profitable enough. Kimmel’s actually argued against that idea, and I can see his point – it feels like we’re undervaluing what late night brings to the table when we only look at the bottom line.

Despite everything, late-night shows might become even more affordable. Kimmel pointed out that future shows may need to cut back on some current expenses. He went on to explain…

It might not be exactly the same scale – perhaps without the large band or a huge writing team – but I believe some form of late-night talk show will continue to exist.

Despite the recent budget cuts, Jimmy Kimmel suggested that these new late-night shows could create opportunities for people who haven’t traditionally been able to break into the industry, potentially revitalizing the entire format. Kimmel went on to explain…

It could actually be a good thing, potentially opening up opportunities for a wider range of people – different ages, backgrounds, and those with specialized programming interests – which I think would make for really interesting viewing.

The future of late-night television is still uncertain. Jimmy Kimmel recently renewed his contract, ensuring his show will continue for at least another year, but what happens after that is unclear. Hopefully, Kimmel’s optimistic outlook proves correct and the future isn’t as grim as it appears.

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2026-01-06 07:38